Veneration and Constraint: Do Conservation Philosophies in the United Kingdom and the United States Limit the Continuation of Traditional Building Skills?

Abstract

The concept of minimal intervention in historic structures has served as a cornerstone of conservation theory for more than one hundred years. But how has this concept affected the persistence of traditional craft skills, and what role do craftspeople serve on modern conservation sites? This paper observes the philosophical underpinning of conservation theory in the United Kingdom and the United States and its impact on heritage craft skills transfer. By studying historical and modern observations of “minimal intervention” concepts, along with the development of international standards, which incorporate wider concepts of “heritage” and “authenticity,” this paper argues that cultures that adhere to the nineteenth-century concepts of materiality should expand their concepts of heritage to include the intangible aspects of craft practice. Additionally, it argues that the hierarchical frameworks that currently exist on-site between practitioners and professionals should be reexamined to identify the enhanced role that craft workers can serve within the decision and execution processes of historic structure conservation.